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A colloid thruster is a type of thruster which uses electrostatic acceleration of charged liquid droplets for propulsion. It is closely related to electrospray ionization

Electrospray ionization

Electrospray ionization is a technique used in mass spectrometry to produce ions. It is especially useful in producing ions from macromolecules because it overcomes the propensity of these molecules to fragment when ionized...

 and other hydrodynamic spraying processes. In a colloid thruster charged liquid droplets are produced by an electrospray

Electrospray

The name electrospray is used for a device that employs electricity to disperse a liquid or for the fine aerosol resulted in this process. The method is sometimes improperly called electrohydrodynamic atomization. High voltage is applied to a liquid supplied through an emitter...

 process and then accelerated by a static electric field. The liquid used for this application tends to be a low volatility ionic liquid

Ionic liquid

An ionic liquid is a salt in the liquid state. In some contexts, the term has been restricted to salts whose melting point is below some arbitrary temperature, such as . While ordinary liquids such as water and gasoline are predominantly made of electrically neutral molecules, ILs are largely made...

.

Like other ion thrusters its benefits include high efficiency, thrust density, and specific impulse; however it has very low total thrust, on the order of micronewtons. Its primary utility is in very efficient fine control or efficient primary acceleration of small spacecraft over long periods of time.

External links

• Colloid Thruster Lecture Notes - MIT

See also

• Ion thrusters
• Electrospray ionization
  Electrospray ionization
  Electrospray ionization is a technique used in mass spectrometry to produce ions. It is especially useful in producing ions from macromolecules because it overcomes the propensity of these molecules to fragment when ionized...
  
  
• Taylor cone
  Taylor cone
  A Taylor cone refers to the cone observed in electrospinning, electrospraying and hydrodynamic spray processes from which a jet of charged particles emanates above a threshold voltage...
  
  
• Ionic liquid
  Ionic liquid
  An ionic liquid is a salt in the liquid state. In some contexts, the term has been restricted to salts whose melting point is below some arbitrary temperature, such as . While ordinary liquids such as water and gasoline are predominantly made of electrically neutral molecules, ILs are largely made...
  
  
• LISA Pathfinder
  LISA Pathfinder
  LISA Pathfinder is the revised name for SMART-2, a NASA/ESA space probe to be launched in June 2013. SMART stands for Small Missions for Advanced Research in Technology. The aim of the LISA Pathfinder is to test technologies needed for the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna, a joint NASA/ESA...